Going on a few road trips next year and will be sleeping in my Caddy Van.
What bed should i get?
Been looking at air beds and a sleeping bag.
any other suggestions?
Possibly 2 weeks in it in the summer
Rolls up to take very little space and can be put together/dismantled in a couple of minutes.
A closed cell foam mat (karrimat etc) underneath your sleeping bag and on top of the bed will keep it extremely cosy in the very coldest months if you need it.
That ain’t no Caddy. Don’t forget the poor lad will have to leave the rear doors open to stick his legs out. That is unless he’s a short arse. Can we say that? I think we can after Brexit. I maybe wrong, but I do call a spade a shovel.
My old works sprinter had the old mattress off the sofa bed chucked in it before the Welsh 100 tt champs on Saturday night .Me and the missus squeezed in between the tools and the dog for a nights kip
We’ve got Outwell camp beds and one of those thin self inflating mat things. Not the cheapest but really top notch quality, fold up nice and neat and compact and very comfy and doesn’t squeak and creak every time you think about moving or turning over. I sleep better on that in a tent than I do in my own bed.
It’s a home made setup that was already in the van when I bought it, the previous owner was an outdoorist too.
There are two removable boards across the van for the front section, which over lap the folded middle seat to give a good length bed. These can form a handy ‘shelf’ behind the middle seat or be stored vertically behind the seat (as shown) to give full load space. The rear end of the bed is two fold up sections attached to framework/storage built in. The whole lot is ply topped with foam and then carpet, firm but quite comfortable really. Two bikes comfortably fit under the bed with front wheels off.
There are also a second set of floor mounts for the middle seat set back from the normal ones, too close to add a third row, but that puts the seat under the bed out of the way. Or when only the rear boards are down and the seat up it gives a nice spacious seating area, front seats on swivels.
Very comfortable indeed, and rolls up small. Far more comfy than an airbed. In fact the most comfortable thing I’ve slept in that wasn’t in a house or a hotel. And tbh more comfortable than a lot of hotels…
Thanks, as I said not my work, but it is obvious that a lot of thought went into the design from the way it all fits together in various configurations, and it does seem a practical setup depending on your needs.
We have a T5 with a rock and roll bed that is pretty uncomfortable on its own. I am am currently hunting for the best thing to make it more comfortable especially for long trips when we are away for a few weeks.
Currently tried a cheap self inflating mattresses, but that only made it marginally better. Also tried a Ikea foam topper but that actually made it worse.
I am now thinking that to get it like our normal bed you actually need quite a bit of thickness to sink into when you lie down. Tried a memory foam type mattress at my brothers house that was around 60 -70mm thick and that seemed really comfortable. Only problem was that it doesn’t pack up small and is really heavy.
We use a futon in our Vivaro stealth camper. It was pretty good at first but after a year the padding compressed a bit and became uncomfortable. I nabbed some foam from work and cut it into 4 off 1200mm x 1200mm squares and the Mrs put them in an old quilt cover in 2 pairs of two. We put that underneath and it’s fine now and we can fold it in half and tuck it under the futon when that is folded. Result.
I’ve got the thickest self inflating mat I could lay my hands on. I just kept going in Cotswold until I found one I liked. They always seem to have a sale on.
Ended up with an Ayacucho model about 50mm thick that was half price at 60 quid. It’s a huge step up in comfort from an air bed. Seems nice and tough and I don’t wake up with my arse or hips pressed against the floor. Even with the valves open it offers a lot of support so I imagine a puncture would not be the end of the world.
My T4 is like a simple version of Mark90’s set up.
Permanent, carpeted wheel arch boxes to the height of the bench seat folded flat, then I slide in two pieces of thick ply the width of the van. One slips over the other to allow the bench seat to be used for travel.
2 decent self inflating mattress’s = a good night’s sleep.
Being flat they store easily in the garage till I need them.
Couple of cheap self inflating decathalon matresses for me. £12 each. Sorted. Also handy is the low folding table they do, saves losing keys, phone etc in the van mess and helps keep the beer from being spilt
If theres enough room, I can’t stress just how comfortable US Army camp cot beds are – they actually offer some support and I’ve hardly ever woken up with such a relaxed/stiffness free back when staying away from home.
Looks good Ninfan, great alternative to big cumbersome, permanent bed in the Transporter. Likey.
Liking a Ninfan post. Christ, whatever next? asking Renton for bike maintenance advice? Binners for dietary tips? Flashy for budget airline reviews?…. 😆
loads of storage underneath, I’ll box it in once i get the chance. kombi double seat in the back folds forward, frame slides out to form a decent double. outwell self inflating mattress on top.
Loving all the suggestions in here, just take a look at the pic of the back of a caddy I posted up there
All very well, but when I go biking for a weekend, I don’t take a road bike, or a bike bag, and all that other shit goes under the bed. Leaves plenty room for a bike and a bed.
I use one of those cots Ninfan pictures. very comfy. you may need some sort of lever to set the thing up though. they are under some tension! I use an old crank arm.
Take the bulkhead out of the caddy and you will get most beds in there.
I just use a self inflating mat and slide the passenger seat as far forward as it goes. I’m 6’2″ and fit in fine.